SAN JOSE -- Delighting taste buds, appetites and imagination, the Bacon Festival of America dished out both creative and comfort dishes to thousands of indulging diners under party-perfect skies.

More than three dozen trucks featured creations ranging from Korean-stye barbecue bacon taco to bacon-wrapped ribs over mac and cheese. There were lobster bacon tacos, and doughnuts, quesadillas, bread pudding and sliders, all featuring bacon.

For the baconoscenti, it was heaven. "How can you go wrong with bacon, Tater Tots and cheese?" asked KC Sharp, 55, of Livermore, while waiting to order at the Bacon Bacon food truck.

Bacon and cheese fries was one of the offerings during the second annual Bacon Festival of America in Cesar Chavez Park in downtown San Jose, Saturday, July 5, 2014. (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group)
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Patrick Tehan
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Trucks like Bacon Bacon, whose reputations preceded them at Plaza de César Chávez in downtown San Jose, were drawing the longest lines by midday Saturday. With appetizer-sized dishes mostly priced at $4 to $5, the festival offered enough range in cuisine and items -- plus shady tables and live music and entertainment -- to entice folks to leisurely sample several vendors.

"The variety of the trucks is awesome," said Wendy Tabaldo, 35, of Sunnyvale, who recommended the Salvadoran bacon pupusas -- filled corn-masa patties -- with bacon cabbage slaw.

All sold out

Event mastermind Ryan Sebastian took lessons learned from last year's first bacon festival, when some vendors ran out of bacon and visitors lamented uninspired offerings.

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"Last year, vendors didn't realize how much people wanted bacon in everything. They wanted bacon on bacon on bacon," Sebastian said. "We learned we cannot overdo the bacon."

To that end, Sebastian secured 500 pounds of bacon they were keeping in a refrigerator on site to offset any potential shortages.

The local cupcake vendor Fairy Cakes's most popular flavor was chocolate maple bacon, and also plain maple bacon cupcakes.

"We are lucky to be very well loved," said Brian Vail, the company's creator and "chief fairy."

Moving the festival from Berryessa to downtown also created a sea change in atmosphere, Sebastian said, with more space, enhanced aesthetics and better visibility.

On Friday and Saturday, there was plenty of room to move around, and the park offered the built-in amenities of its popular water fountain, shaded grassy areas and tree-lined perimeter. Tables were plentiful, and overturned buckets serving as seats reflected the laid-back vibe throughout the venue. The location also allowed the event to absorb passing foot traffic, which was virtually nonexistent last year.

While patrons scarfed down their salty-meat treats, local bands played on a main stage set up at the north end of the park, DJ's dotted the other end, and Revolution, a San Jose-based pro-wrestling outfit, erected a ring near the fountain and let its rising stars pretend to duke it out.

Across the street, next to the Fairmont Hotel, about a dozen members of Direct Action Everywhere staged a demonstration Friday to connect the wares of the festival to animal cruelty.

"What they're doing to pigs, cows and chickens is the same as what they're doing in dogfighting circles," organizer Wayne Hsiung said. "What this festival is promoting is not in fact just a food product, not just a commodity, it's a product of incredible suffering and violence."

There was enough variety for the non-bacon lovers, or just the bacon-satiated. Isaiah Miesle, 11, of Santa Clara, was sampling a mini-bacon burger with his family. "I like bacon, but not as much as he does," said Isaiah, pointing to his dad, Don Miesle. The family gave the thumbs up to porky corn (cooked in bacon fat), bacon lemonade and bacon hash on fries.

What to do for bacon overload?

"We're all going to a workout tomorrow morning," said Mike Lommatzsch, 55, of San Jose.